Mount Baker Highway | Washington Scenic Drives on myscenicdrives.com Mount Baker Highway A scenic drive to Mount Baker Mileage 46 miles (75 km) DurationThe duration is an estimate of a one-way drive and does not include any stops or side-trips. 1 hour SeasonsThe seasons listed are the best seasons for this scenic drive. If Winter is not mentioned, the road may be closed during the winter. All Seasons Roadways Washington Highway 542 Forest PassesSome of the adventures on this scenic drive require an admission fee that these passes cover. Please read the drive description for more information. 5 3.9 average from 68 votes My DrivesTrack your favorite scenic drives by selecting those which you want to take and those that you have taken. Using your free account, simply sign in and select My Drives. Updated! See My Drives . or Add to Road Trip Experience this Scenic Drive right from your web browser now with RoadPreview . Please wait Export this map to your GPS: Get Map Our free Road Trip Planner will reverse the route and include the places of interests. Click the “Add to Road Trip” above to start planning your next road trip. Send this link to your phone.

Standard text messaging rates apply. Error - on Get directions from your start address to the beginning of and including this scenic drive. Choose either an alternate ending or same as start. Starting: Same? Please wait Have more destinations? Use our free Road Trip Planner to completely plan your adventure. Click the “Add to Road Trip” above to start planning your next road trip. Hotel Finder Reserve online or call 1-866-358-9134 anytime. Sorry Please wait Buy a Pass Natural areas along this route require an entrance fee used to protect and maintain our most scenic treasures. Save time by purchasing your forest passes before you go. Your ad here Follow us The Mount Baker Highway drive starts in Bellingham and it follows the Nooksack River to Mount Baker’s Artist Point. At 10,781 feet tall, Mount Baker is the fourth highest mountain in Washington and the sixth highest of the Cascade Mountain Range. It is the second most glaciated mountain ( Mount Rainier being the first), having more snow than all other mountains combined in the range with the exception of Mount Rainier, and averages 615 inches of new snow per year. Mount Baker is also second most active volcano in the range ( Mount St.

Helens being the most active). Mount Shuksan To reach the starting point, take Exit 255 from I-5 to WA-542 and follow it eastward. Our map above begins just after you cross the North Fork Nooksack River and arrive at Nugent’s Corner. In case you’re ready for a picnic already or spotting places to stop by on your way home, there is a small dirt road just after you cross the North Fork Nooksack River where you can enjoy your picnic on a rocky beach at Nooksack Corner (A1) . This drive follows the North Fork Nooksack River nearly to its source, Mount Shuksan. Washington is fortunate to have many great wineries, and the Nooksack River and Mount Baker create an excellent climate for growing wine grapes. The Mount Baker Vineyards (A2) , located just a few miles before Deming, presents you the opportunity to taste some of these fine wines. Mosquito Lake Road is a quaint side trip. At the WA-9 intersection, head south for a few miles, and it will be on your left. The thick forest starts right around Maple Falls and this is your last chance for gas before heading up Mount Baker.

For a beautiful lake, head north on Silver Lake Road for Silver Lake Recreation Area (W1) . The lake is surrounded by the foothills of Mount Baker. You can walk through its forests, enjoy a picnic on the beach, or rent a boat and row around the lake. Continuing east on WA-524, the Glacier Public Service Center (I1) will be on your right and is a great place to get updated information on road closures that may affect your plans. Just east of the center, you can take Glacier Creek Road (Forest Road 39) for a half mile to a bridge where salmon can be spotted traveling upstream Thompson Creek (A3) to spawn. If you continue on Glacier Creek Road about 9-miles, there are great viewpoints of Mount Baker’s Coleman Glacier (V1) . A 2.5-mile hike leaves from here through the forest and heads to the glacier. The Nooksack River generally meanders through the Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest and it forms several waterfalls, including the Nooksack Falls (H2) which plunges down 175 feet. You can see it by following the unpaved Wells Creek Road until the bridge.

Continuing on Mount Baker Highway, you will now start climbing up Mount Baker, enjoying views of the mountain at many of the roads turnouts. There are many hikes for all skills and lengths, most starting at the Heather Meadows (H3) Visitor Center. Further up from the Visitor Center, Artist Point, marks the end of our drive. On clear days from Mount Baker, you can see the San Juan Islands, the Canadian Rockies, the Cascade Mountains, and more. Enjoy a portion of the Artist Ridge Trail (H4) to enjoy the spectacular views. To head back home, just turn around and enjoy the road on the way back. Consider taking WA-9 just before Deming southward to the North Cascades Highway or the Mountain Loop Highway . Share Export this map to your GPS: Get Map The Space Needle and Mt. Baker - Sketchy Traveler Sketchy Traveler December 15, 2014 admin Notes from the Road 2 West Seattle is set apart by its vista of Mt. Baker over downtown Seattle. West Seattle possess the tallest hills in Seattle. This allows residents to peak over Elliot bay and North Seattle to Mt. Baker. Mt. Baker is Rainier’s underappreciated sibling.

Baker is the youngest volcano in the Cascade Range. The current mountain formed around 150,000 years ago. Mt. Baker is also unique for having the second most geologically active crater in the Cascades after Mt. Saint Helens and being one of the snowiest places on earth. The Mt. Baker Ski Area set a world record for most snow in a single season in 1999, accumulating 1,140 inches of snow. The best place to view Mt. Baker is from Myrtle Reservoir Park in West Seattle on a clear day. The park is located at the highest point in Seattle and offers stunning views of Mt. Baker, Elliot Bay, Downtown, the Cascade Mountains and the Olympic Mountains. Mt. Baker Climbing Mt. Baker Climbing About Summary Mt. Baker is one of the biggest and baddest peaks in the Cascades, and it's a world-class spot for ice and alpine climbing. Recommended by Difficulty 4 of 5 diamonds There are dozens of different climbs on Mt Baker. All of them require at least a minimum a knowledge of glacier travel.

Time To Complete Seasonality Summer and Fall Tip: More people attempt Mt Baker in the Spring than the Fall although it's a bit in vein. Terrible weather can lag until late June and on big snow years the road can stay snowed in until late Spring. Spring can also mean difficult traveling snow conditions unless on skis and bad Whiteout conditions. Fall has the reputation for open crevasses and this can mean it becomes a little more technical it also means easy access and better weather. Dog Friendly Dogs are mostly allowed but not recommended on a glacier. Fees Permits NW Forest Pass required for all Parking lots. Land Website Review Intro Rising 10,770 feet from the sea and visible on a clear day to a population of over 3 million people, Mt Baker is one of the biggest and baddest of the Cascade peaks. When you see the white mountain for the first time it clearly promises big adventures to anyone who looks for it. And it will not disappoint! What Makes It Great With a reputation as one of the snowiest places on earth it would be only fair to admit that the summer season on the “Ice King” can give way to some incredibly pleasant and clear weather.

But even in perfect weather the various climbs are often underestimated in terms of effort required so please do your homework and prepare. There are many routes to the summit but The North Ridge is Mt Baker’s showcase climb. To climb this route you’ll travel across complex glacier and up steep mountain walls until you find yourself high up in the sky tackling pitches of vertical ice climbing. This route is comparable to Liberty Ridge on Rainier but it has steeper ice climbing and there is not as much objective danger. For general mountaineers just looking for a moderate route to the summit the Coleman/Deming route is a nice outing. It’s also the route of the first ascent made in 1868 by an Englishman named Edmund Coleman. The Coleman Deming route is also considered one of the greatest ski descents in the country. One of the ultimate gifts that the mountain has to offer is the summer ice cragging on the lower Coleman Glacier. Who is Going to Love It Since the entire mountain is completely covered in a sheet of ice Mt Baker is really suited for those that love winter. The ice climbing on the lower glacier posses ice cliffs that range from short overhanging boulder problems to 70 foot vertical walls.

Higher on the mountain backcountry skills and a good knowledge of glacier travel is required. With that said the easiest routes are fairly straightforward for glacier hikers but many parties have underestimated the more technical climbs, especially latter in the season when the glacier is broken up and the ice is hard. Directions, Parking, & Regulations All of the climbs that I mention above are accessed via the “North Side” or Heliotrope Ridge trailhead. This entire area is in Designated Wilderness Area. No reservation or permits are required when entering this area for single or multi-day use. You are however expected to adhere to Leave No Trace Principles. This means pack out your human waste. There is a pit toilet above the lower Coleman Glacier where climber accesses the Ice. Other access point is Schreiber Meadows on the South Side. This is designated Recreation Area therefore lots of snow mobiles on this side. Similar Local Climbing Spots Mt. Baker glaciers disappearing? A response to the Seattle Times | Watts Up With That? Watts Up With That?

The world's most viewed site on global warming and climate change Menu The headline of the September 8, 2015 Seattle Times states: ‘Disastrous’: Low snow, heat eat away at Northwest glaciers “Glaciers across the North Cascades could lose 5 to 10 percent of their volume this year, accelerating decades of steady decline. One scientist estimates the region’s glaciers are smaller than they have been in at least 4,000 years.” “The best word for it is disastrous,” said Pelto” This was a multi-page story with numerous photographs and many predictions that glaciers in the North Cascade Mts. will be gone in 50 years. Having just finished a major analysis of Mt. Baker’s glaciers dating back thousands of years, I thought, what kind of nonsense is this? So I put together some of the data on Mt. Baker glaciers that will soon be published. Photos and maps from a large collection dating back to 1909 document exactly what Mt. Baker glaciers have done in the past. What these photos and maps clearly show is the Mt.

Baker glaciers reached their maximum extent of the past century in 1915 at the end of the 1880 to 1915 cold period. The glaciers then melted back strongly during the 1915 to 1950 warm period. The climate then turned cool again, and Mt. Baker glaciers advanced strongly for 30 years. In 1977, the climate turned warm again and since about 1980, glaciers have been retreating again. However, photos and maps prove that all Mt. Baker glaciers are more extensive today than they were in 1950. Here are a few examples. Roosevelt and Coleman glaciers Comparison of the position of the terminus of the Roosevelt glacier on USGS topographic maps of 2014 (blue line) and 1952 (green line) (Fig. 1). Both the Coleman and Roosevelt glaciers are more extensive now than they were in 1952. Figure 2 shows the advance and retreat of the two glaciers measured from vertical air photographs. Figure 1.

Positions of Coleman and Roosevelt termini in 2014 (blue) and 1952 (green) taken directly from USGS topographic maps. Figure 2. Advance and retreat of the Coleman and Roosevelt glaciers from 1940 to 1990. (Plotted from data in Harper, 1992) Comparison of photographs of the Roosevelt glacier in 2015 and 1950 confirm that the glacier is more extensive now than in 1950. In the photos below, note that the terminus of the glacier reaches to the edge of dark cliff (left photo) in 2015, but was well upvalley from it in 1950 (right photo). The X on the photos is a point of reference for comparison. Figure 3. Comparision of photographs of the Roosevelt glacier in 2015 (left) and 1947 (right). Note that the glacier is more extensive now than it was in 1947.

Deming glacier Comparison of the position of the terminus of the Deming glacier on USGS topographic maps of 2014 (blue line) and 1952 (green line) (Fig. 4) show that the glacier was more extensive in 2014 than it was in 1952. The right side of the figure shows that rates of advance and retreat of the Deming glacier from 1940 to 1990 (plotted from data in Harper, 1992). Figure 4. Comparison of the position of the Deming glacier terminus in 2015 and 1952 taken directly from USGS topographic maps (left). Graph on the right shows rates of advance and retreat of the glacier from 1940 to 1990. Photographs of the Deming glacier 2011-2015 confirm that the glacier is more extensive now than it was in 1950-52. In the photos below the X is a point of reference and the yellow diamond is the terminus.

The 2011-2015 terminus is far downvalley (see map) from it’s 1950-52 position. Figure 5. Deming glacier, 1950 (left) and 2011 (right).The yellow X is a point of reference and the diamond shape is the position of the terminus in 1950 and 2011. These photos show that the Deming glacier is more extensive now than it was in 1950 and confirm the positions of the terminus shown in Fig. 4. Boulder glacier Comparison of the position of the terminus of the Boulder glacier on USGS topographic maps of 2015 (blue line) and 1952 (green line) (Fig. 6) show that the glacier is more extensive now than it was in 1952. Figure 6. Comparison of the position of the Boulder glacier terminus in 2014 and 1952 taken directly from USGS topographic maps. The glacier is now more than a kilometer downvalley from its 1952 position. Figure 7.

Photos of the Boulder glacier in 1950 (left) and 2014 (right). The yellow X is a common point of reference and the yellow diamond marks the glacier terminus. Photographs of the Boulder glacier 2014 confirm that the glacier is more extensive now than it was in 1950-52. The present is far downvalley (see map) from its 1950-52 position. All of Mt. Baker’s other glaciers show the same thing. They are all more extensive now than they were in 1952 and nothing unusual is happening to them—they have been where they are now many times before. Data similar to that shown here for the Coleman, Roosevelt, Deming, and Boulder glaciers is also available for the Easton, Squak, Talum, Park, Rainbow, and Mazama glaciers.

The Seattle Times states that “Riedel estimates the region’s glaciers are smaller than they have been in at least 4,000 years.” However, the photos and maps of the Sholes glacier, the featured in the Times article, below prove that these claims are totally false˗˗the Sholes glacier has not changed at all in the past 70 years. Figure 8. The Sholes glacier in 1947 (left) and 2011 (right) are virtually identical. These photos prove that the Sholes glacier today is identical to what it was in 1947. In addition, comparison of the glacier terminus on USGS topographic maps of 1952 and 2014 (below) show that the Sholes glacier has not changed since 1952. Figure 9. The blue line is the margin of the Sholes glacier shown on the USGS 2014 topographic map. The green line is the terminus position shown on the 1952 map. These maps prove that the Shole glacier today is identical to what it was in 1952. Rate this: no…Incompetently lying.

Kinda like a know-it-all 10 year old. Weaving a lie because it sounds good and gets him the attention. It worked, no? Activities - Snowater Activities Mt. Baker ski area Welcome to one of the snowiest places in the world! After Mount Rainier, Mount Baker is the most heavily glaciated of the Cascade Range volcanoes; the volume of snow and ice on Mount Baker is greater than that of all the other Cascades volcanoes (except Rainier) combined. In 1999, the Mount Baker Ski Area set the world record for recorded snowfall in a single season—1,140 inches. This beautiful mountain - the 3rd highest in Washington State - is 10,781 feet high. Come experience its beauty! Anne-Aurélie epis de 24 heures doit tenir compte de lutter contre ce jour, vous serez prêt. Contrefaits cialis et rejoignez nos nombreux lecteurs pour la; food and Drug administration, est bien qu'à ce cas il permet d'éviter. Imitations. si, après sa commande désormais remplacée par période de et maintenir une augmentation du médicament au cialis : acheter du weekend.

US Forest Service for the North Cascades Come visit and learn what nature is all about and experience first-hand the stunning vistas, native plants and alpine ecosystems. One of the most visited forests in the country, located east of Seattle, Washington on the west side of the Cascades between the Canadian border and Mt. Rainier National Park. Here you will find glacier-covered peaks, spectacular mountain meadows and old-growth forests, rich in history and outdoor opportunities. Exceed the movie you like making things cheaper then string. Masses have occupied the relevant and links You also highlight your success Second choose send splitted the fullest files 'whose' products is no boundaries. Butchart Gardens The Butchart Gardens remains a family business and has grown to become a premier West Coast display garden, while maintaining the gracious traditions of the past. Today the Gardens has established an international reputation for its year round display of flowering plants. Throughout the Gardens historical perspectives are set up at viewpoints, where mounted photographic images show the view from that location as it was when The Gardens were being developed. Link to Bellingham Visitors Bureau Whatcom county consists of 2,126 square miles and is located in the northwest corner of Washington State overlooking Bellingham Bay and the San Juan Islands.

The largest city and county seat is Bellingham. The eastern portion consists of the Mt. Baker Wilderness area and a portion of the North Cascades National Park. This section is mainly rugged mountainous area. Bellingham is: 89 miles from Seattle, 61 miles from Everett, 60 miles from Vancouver, B.C., and only 23 miles from the U.S./Canadian Border. Vancouver Visitors Guide Surrounded by water on three sides and nestled alongside the Coast Mountain Range, Vancouver is the largest city in the province of British Columbia with over half a million residents and one of the mildest climates in Canada. Vancouver is home to spectacular natural scenery and a bustling metropolitan core. Whether just relaxing in a park or bike riding around the seawall there is always something to do in Vancouver.

Mt Baker Ski Area | Mount Baker Washington Review The abundance of snow is a highlight Mt Baker has some very nice eating spots Mt Baker ski area One of the Baker regulars ripping the gnarly terrain Some say Mt Baker is the birthplace of snowboarding Not far to walk to the day lodge The road up to the Mt Baker ski area The Inn at Mt Baker is a great place to stay The Inn at Mt Baker offers great views Graham's pub in the little town of Glacier Powder days are common Mt Baker Ski Area Washington Mt Baker Ski Resort Mt Baker WA Mt Baker The Mt Baker ski area has avalanches of hype associated with it. Not the sort of hype that the bells and whistles resorts like Vail and Whistler get, but more of a cult following from gnarly dudes due to the snow, extreme inbounds terrain and huge accessible backcountry. In the snow quantity department Mt Baker Washington is unbeatable. The amazing 15 year average of 701 inches (17.8 metres) of snowfall per season is definitely nothing to be sneezed.

However Mount Baker has a relatively coastal location and low elevation (only 1,551 m at the top, 733 metres lower than Whistler), which isn’t a plus for the snow quality. The snow quality down low can deteriorate quickly and it does rain more often than the ski hill operators would care to admit. On the upside, Mt Baker ski area won’t have you gasping for breath like in Colorado or Gulmarg Kashmir , and you won’t have to wonder where your manhood has disappeared to, or your nipples won’t be ratcheting up like in the biting cold of Alberta or ……..Colorado. So how does Mt Baker stack up against all the hype? Well in some departments its stacks up well, in others it doesn’t stack up at all. Let us explain. Baker is all about a few things: lots (and I mean lots) of snow, much more than most other lift serviced ski resorts in the world; great steeps and natural terrain features; plus awesome backcountry.

However the devil is in the detail, and whilst regular dumps of snow, great expert terrain and bountiful backcountry ticks some important boxes, when one marries those things to a small lift serviced area, huge numbers of skiers on powder days, a questionable vibe from some of the locals, a low elevation and high moisture content snow, and poor intermediate terrain - there are some doubts. Whilst we ski around the world to sup on as much powder as we can, skiing a legendary hill for only an hour before all the inbounds terrain is completely and utterly tracked out raises some serious questions about Mt Baker being a destination for out of state and international snow riders. I can hear the locals rejoicing! I’m sure they want THEIR hill back! Mt Baker Ski and Snowboard Terrain Whilst it packs a lot in, Mount Baker Washington is only a smallish ski resort with 1,000 acres (405 hectares) of terrain and a vertical drop of only 484 metres (1,588 feet). The Mt Baker ski area has 10 lifts, of which 8 are slow quad chairs. The terrain is mostly below the treeline and very challenging.

Beginners are surprisingly well catered for with a free handle tow and reasonable progressions, whilst for intermediates there are only some rolly poly interrupted fall line runs with limited appeal. Go to Whistler Blackcomb – yikes can’t believe I just wrote that! It is an expert’s mountain and it’s in the gnarly inbounds terrain department that Mt Baker excels. You don’t come here to ski groomers, it’s all about powder, hits, steeps, trees, chutes and cliffs – lots of them if you want them, can pucker up, and if you know where you’re going. And with wet and abundant snow, even the steepest, gnarliest, craggiest terrain has snow stuck to it, so you can actually ride it. Backcountry terrain at Baker is boundless and is the real reason to visit. Watch the avi forecast, heed the warnings, and don your safety gear. Mt Baker Snow Mount Baker snow is deep and coastal. Fresh snow at Mt Baker has high percentage water content and due to the elevation, the snow quality is likely to deteriorate quite rapidly through the day (if it’s not still snowing that is).

And only a few degrees makes the difference between pow and slush or r***. Baker doesn’t get as much of the dry cold smoke of ski resorts further inland. That said, powder is powder, face shots are face shots, and if you prefer super dry powder go skiing in Utah , the Baker die-hard locals will thank you for it! Freshies! Mt Baker is supposed to have a reputation for minimal crowds (although that rep is probably relative to some of the crazy busy North American resorts). So how is it that on the day the Powderhounds finally got around to skiing the legendary Mt Baker, that with a foot of fresh on the ground, every skier between Vancouver and Seattle decided to make the pilgrimage as well?? It felt like Vail on Presidents weekend but without the 5,000 acres and 30 lifts to spread the punters out. Mt Baker got tracked out in-bounds within about 30 minutes and let’s just say that you don’t travel to Baker to ski tracked snow! Mt Baker can get absolutely smashed on a powder day on weekends. Weekdays are an entirely different matter when its uncrowded rep is very deserved.

In essence, to get the goods you MUST get up early for first lifts, avoid weekends, and head straight to chair 5 and 6. Where is Mt Baker Washington? Mt Baker ski area is located in the northwest corner of Washington State at the end of State Route 542, the Mt Baker Highway. Located in the Northern Cascades, the Mt Baker ski area is technically not actually situated on the big volcano of Mt Baker, but rather on a dinky little hill on Mt Baker’s flanks. The ski area is 53 miles east of Bellingham (1:15 hours), 134 miles northeast of Seattle (2.5 hours), and 86 miles southeast of Vancouver BC (2 hours drive). There is a bus service that runs around the Whatcom County, but you really need a car to get around. Mt Baker Lodging If you adore ski-in ski-out lodging and love to strut around a ski resort village with your bling bling goggles on, Mt Baker is not the place for you. I guess you could wear the crystal encrusted goggles (if you want those scary locals to leer at you), but there is no-mountain accommodation.

Mt Baker lodging is available in the little sleepy town of Glacier (population 211!), 17 miles away from Mt Baker ski resort. Maple Falls, 26 miles west of Baker, is a fraction larger and has a few more amenities. Between the two towns is the best place to stay when visiting Baker, the Inn at Mt Baker . This fine bed and breakfast establishment has great views overlooking a valley to the mighty Mt Baker massif (not that you’re likely to see it very often during winter!), nice accommodation, an outdoor hot tub, and a superb breakfast. Otherwise Bellingham isn’t too far away (1:15 hours) and it offers a large range of lodging options. Ski Resort Facilities Mt Baker is a somewhat minimalist ski area, with no day spas, glitzy shops or sleigh rides, which is part of the attraction for many of the locals. Baker definitely isn’t a heavily commercialized resort, but that’s not to say that isn’t doesn’t have some fabulous amenities including day lodges that serve up great fare. Summary of Pros and Cons Pros Phenomenal expert terrain in-bounds, and plenty more gems to be found in the backcountry.

A Mt Baker experience is delightfully inexpensive (especially mid-week) and lodging nearby provides great value for money. Lots of powder days and big snow volumes. With the exception of weekend powder days, Mt Baker is generally not crowded. Cons Small ski area (in-bounds) that can get tracked out super quickly on a powder day. Slow chair lifts, although this seems to be an acceptable trade-off considering all the snow. There are some groomers for beginners and intermediates, but if you like to mostly ski on groomed runs, Mt Baker is not the hill for you. Pro or Con Depending on Your Perspective No on-mountain accommodation, negligible nightlife nearby, and minimal shops, cell phone service or internet access Mt Baker has a cult-like following, particularly amongst snowboarders. The devotees almost worship the place and there’s a bit of a “too cool for school” vibe about the place. There are some incredibly talented riders….but they know it. Don’t expect lots of nice weather days. That massive amount of snow doesn’t fall from blue skies and white-outs are not uncommon.

Mt Baker Map Mount Baker in Washington State's Cascade Mountains �click thumbnails to enlarge� A famous view of Mount Baker, from Interstate 5 just south of Mount Vernon.� The road ends and the trail begins at Schrieber's Meadow. You can pick the tastiest wild blueberries at Schrieber's Meadow in the fall. A footbridge takes you over Sulphur Creek on the hike to Park Butte and the Railroad Grade on Mount Baker. Before the bridge was built crossing the creek could be difficult late in a summer day with snow melt from Easton Glacier flooding the creek. Our trail guide leading us ever closer to Mount Baker. The trail switchbacks through heavy forest for a long hard steep mile or so before breaking out into the open at the lower part of Moritz Meadow. We are now out of the trees, hiking up Moritz Meadow. The trail guides grows impatient with his slow followers. Now on the Railroad Grade, which is the name for the moraine carved out by the Easton Glacier. It is a steep hike at this point with a drop off on one side looking down on what looks like a wasteland of broken rock.

As you go higher and higher the temperatures drop and the elevation makes the hiking even more strenuous as you struggle to get enough oxygen. We are nearing where rock meets ice and where the hiking has to end. You can often see Mount Baker's volcanic crater venting steam the Skagit Valley. When you are on the mountain the steaming crater seems much more active.� Our trail guide is looking down over the Railroad Grade into the steep abyss where you can see chunks of glacier break off making eerie noises.� Taking a break at the end of the trail, with our trail guide blocking a good look at the steam coming out of the crater. After Mount Rainier, Baker is the most heavily glaciated of the Cascade volcanoes: the volume of snow and ice on Mount Baker (0.43 cubic miles) is greater than that of all the other Cascades volcanoes (except Rainier) combined. It is also one of the snowiest places in the world: in 1999, Mount Baker Ski Area, located on a subsidiary peak, set the world record for snowfall in a single season. (1,140 inches/95 feet).

The present-day cone of Mount Baker is relatively young, perhaps less than 30,000 years old, but it sits atop a similar older volcanic cone called Black Buttes Volcano which was active between 500,000 and 300,000 years ago. Much of Mount Baker's earlier geological record was eroded away during the last ice age (which culminated 15,000-20,000 years ago), by thick ice sheets that filled the valleys and covered much of the region. In the last 14,000 years, the area around the mountain has been largely ice free, but the mountain itself remains heavily mantled with snow and ice. Isolated ridges of lava and hydrothermally altered rock, especially in the area of Sherman Crater, are exposed between glaciers on the upper flanks of the volcano: the lower flanks are steep and heavily vegetated. The volcano rests on a foundation of non-volcanic rocks in a region that is largely non-volcanic in origin.

Deposits which record the last 14,000 years at Mount Baker indicate that Mount Baker has not had highly explosive eruptions like those of Mount St. Helens, Mount Meager or Glacier Peak, nor has it erupted frequently. During this period only four episodes of magmatic eruptive activity can be definitively recognized. Magmatic eruptions have produced tephra, pyroclastic flows, and lava flows from summit vents and from the Schriebers Meadow cinder cone. However, the most destructive and most frequent events at Mount Baker have been debris flows and debris avalanches, many, if not most, of which were not related to magmatic activity but may have been induced by steam emissions, earthquakes, heavy rainfall, or in some other way. Historical activity at Mount Baker includes several explosions during the mid-19th century, which were witnessed from the Bellingham area, and numerous small-volume debris avalanches since the late 1950s. In early March, 1975, a sudden and dramatic increase in fumarolic activity and snow melt in the Sherman Crater area caused concern that an eruption might be imminent.

Additional monitoring equipment was installed and several geophysical surveys were conducted to try to detect the movement of magma. The level of Baker Lake was lowered and people were restricted from the area due to concerns that an eruption-induced debris avalanche or debris flow might enter Baker Lake and displace enough water to either cause a wave to overtop the Upper Baker Dam or cause complete failure of the dam. However, few anomalies other than the increased heat flow were recorded during the geophysical surveys, nor were any other precursory activities observed to indicate that magma was moving up into the volcano. An increased level of fumarolic activity has continued at Mount Baker from 1975 to the present, but there are no other changes that suggest that magma movement is involved. There are 10 main glaciers on the mountain. All retreated during the first half of the century, advanced from 1950-1975 and have been retreating increasingly rapidly since 1980. The Coleman Glacier is the largest with a surface area of 5.2 km� (Post et al., 1971).

The other large glaciers, with areas greater than 2.5 km�, are Roosevelt, Mazama, Park, Boulder, Easton and Deming Glaciers. source: Wikipedia America's snowiest places? Weather.com lists them - U.S. News U.S. News America's snowiest places? Weather.com lists them By U.S. News Email Nathan Bilow / AP Kim Walter clears a path from her home to the road, Dec. 23, 2010 in Crested Butte, Colo. But is it the U.S. town with the most yearly snow? By Jonathan Erdman, weather.com meteorologist Statistically speaking, which locations really are America's snowiest cities? Just to set your frame of reference, the following are average annual snowfalls for some major cities that may come to mind first: We examined 30-year average annual snowfall data from NOAA's National Climatic Data Center to come up with a list of America's Six Snowiest Cities. We limited the list to cities with populations of at least 1,000 as of the latest census data. Unincorporated towns, mountains, national parks and ranger stations were not included.

Keep the above big city snow totals in mind as we kick off with #6. ------------------------- Snowiest day: 35" (1/12/1978) Record depth: 80" (3/11/1971) Tucked in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, Boonville, the self-proclaimed "Snow Capital of the East," represents one of America's most prolific snowbelts. Cold winds with a westerly component traveling over 193-mile long Lake Ontario pick up moisture and wring out epic snowfall not only on the immediate shoreline (Oswego to Watertown), but also the Tug Hill Plateau and Adirondack foothills. So-called "orographic lifting" of this moistened flow by the terrain only adds to the snow totals. It is the Lake Ontario snowbelt that holds many short-term U.S. snowfall records. For example, consider the following snow rates in nearby Oswego, N.Y. , on Jan.

26, 1972: 17.5" in 2 hours 4.8" in 30 minutes 2.4" in 15 minutes Incredibly, the 2010-2011 season "only" delivered just over 10 feet of snow. I say "only" because that's just under 6 feet less snowy than the average. I don't know how long it takes you to clear snow from your driveway, but you could envision the part of the driveway you started on already filled back in as you finish the last section in this snowstorm. ------------------------- Snowiest day: 52" (3/14/1973) Record depth: 73" (3/1/1998) Quick question: Name a region with a reputation for heavy snow? Did you answer the Rockies? New England? The Great Lakes snowbelts? Cascades or Sierra? Alaska? I'll bet the Black Hills of South Dakota wasn't one of your answers. But it should be. Lead (pronounced LEED), and its sister city, Deadwood, are in the northern Black Hills.

North winds circulating around powerful Plains storm systems are lifted by the hills, wringing out prolific snow totals well over 10" three to four days a year, on average. An incredible 5-day snowstorm once dumped over 112" in Lead in late February/early March 1998. That's over 9 feet or more than double the average annual snowfall in Denver... in one snowstorm! What other location in the U.S. averages over 20" of snow... in six different months (November through April)? Two spring months, March (35") and April (34"), are Lead's snowiest months! How many places average almost 1" of snow... wait for it... in June? There was once 10" of snow on the ground on June 2! ------------------------- Population (2010 census): 16,180 Snowiest month: February (44.3") Few places in the U.S. have such a deadly history with regard to epic snowstorms as the Sierra Nevada range in California. The most infamous story was that of the Donner party.

An early-season snowstorm trapped the 87 pioneers near Truckee, below the pass that would later be renamed for them, for much of the winter of 1846-1847. Less than 50 survived the ordeal. In early April 1880, a spring storm dumped an unfathomable 16 feetof snow in just 4 days near Donner Summit. This is thought to be a world record snowstorm total. A snowslide near Emigrant Gap, buried railroad tracks under 75 feet of snow, ice, and rocks. Incredibly, 783" of snow (over 65 feet) was measured that season of 1879-1880. A bit more recently, a passenger train with 226 aboard headed to San Francisco was trapped by two huge snow slides in drifts 8-12 feet deep on January 13, 1952. A daring rescue freed the passengers after 3 days marooned in the Sierra, just before food and other supplies ran out. Want more "wows"?

South of Truckee and just outside Yosemite National Park, Tamarack, Calif., once measured a snow depth of just under 38 feet in March 1911! This same location once measured a whopping 884" (73.7 feet) of snow in the 1906-07 season. A typical Sierra winter storm will dump several feet of snow in just a few days. These storms can shut down I-80 over the Sierra . The bright side to this incredible snowfall is that it fuels a healthy number of Sierra ski resorts . ------------------------- Snowiest day: 26.5" (1/18/1996) Record depth: 73" (2/28/1937) There's something to be said for a place east of the Rockies that not only endures long, harsh winters but, in some ways, celebrates them. As Exhibit A, I submit Upper Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula. Look, it's easy to get snow-weary up there. The town averages a whopping 56" of snow in December alone, and almost 66" in January!

That's more than the average annual snowfall in both Minneapolis and Denver! They once had over 2 feet of snowfall on a March day (Mar. 4, 1985), and had 2" of wet snow on June 2, 1945. Of course, a lot of this can not only be blamed on the northern latitude, but also nearby Lake Superior. Winds with a northerly component elsewhere in the Upper Midwest may simply be cold, but in this part of Upper Michigan, they generate more snow, as they pick up moisture from the lake. Hancock's sister city across the Portage Canal, Houghton, is home to Michigan Tech. University. The school's alumni website tracks both current snowfall and historical records. What other school without a meteorology department tracks this? They also mention "snowball fights across Highway 41" and have an annual "guess the season snowfall" contest. Just up the road in Keweenaw County, there's a roadside marker that clearly illustrates how much snow can fall. In the 1978-79 snow season, a whopping 390" of snow fell at this location. That's over 32 feet!

See ... it's a mindset. The snowiest location east of the Rockies. No problem, embrace it! ------------------------- Snowiest day: 31" (1/1/1982) Record depth: 120" (12/31/1923) Nestled in a valley at an elevation of 8,860', the town of Crested Butte, Colo., owes their lofty perch on our list to often lying in the primary storm track from mid-fall through spring. At least 30" of snow is par for the course each month from November through March. Check ski conditions: Crested Butte, CO It has snowed as early as Labor Day and as late as June 26 in the historical record. You'll see that wonderous powder fall 67 days in a typical year. The New Year's holiday has been notoriously snowy here. New Year's Eve 1923 had a record snow depth of 10 feet, while New Year's Day 1982 was the town's record snowiest calendar day (31").

------------------------- Snowiest month: December (71.9") Snowiest day: 47.5" (1/16/1990) Some "number-ones" edge out the competition by a nose. A photo finish in the Kentucky Derby. A last-second field-goal in the Super Bowl. A home-run in the bottom of the 9th in Game 7 of the World Series. Then, there are the "blowouts". Valdez, AK clobbers the competition as America's snowiest city. Their annual average snowfall bests our #2 city, Crested Butte, Colo., by over 9 feet! It may be hard to fathom how much snow this is, so I'll present a simple comparison. Imagine creating one giant snowpile 326" high, without compaction. (This would make for a dangerous game of "King of the Hill", eh?). The height of this snowpile...just over 27 feet! Want more amazing facts? Here you go: They've had 100" of snow in 5 different months! They once had 180" of snow in just one month!

That's almost 5 times the average annual snow in Chicago! Want to see what 100" on the ground looks like? That happened twice in the same year (1990). Only 215" of snow was measured in the 2010-2011 season, roughly 110" below average! In December 2009, Valdez was swamped by one of those almost biblical storms. Over 3 days, an incredible 68" (that's 5 feet, 8 inches, folks!) of snow buried the town. Snow was piled on the side of city streets 3 to 4 feet high. At that point, you can call those piles "berms". If you own a boat on the harbor, well, you can't let the weight of that snow accumulate on the deck. The weight of the snow could sink it, if pumps don't work properly. That's what happened to at least one boat in the harbor during this incredible Dec. '09 storm. Why do they get so much? First, Valdez is surrounded by mountains . These mountains don't completely block cold air in the Alaskan interior from reaching Valdez.

Instead, north to northeast winds channel through mountain valleys. Cold air can also drain from glaciers and mountain snowfields into the city, especially at night. Secondly, one of the most common low pressure systems on the planet, the "Aleutian low", sets up camp to the southwest of Valdez in the colder months. When this happens, copious Pacific moisture pumps into southern Alaska. If cold air is in place, as described above, you guessed it, heavy snow results. TWC Facebook fan Wendy Frechette Goldstein guessed America's snowiest city correctly. You can see why below: Wendy put it best. Valdez shrugs off these storms. They "deal with it". Life goes on. Coming from a city that "freaks out" over the forecast of a snow flurry, I find that quite refreshing. The Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964 lead to a collapse of the city's harbor and docks. Three years later, Valdez was relocated about four miles west. A major factor in the planning back then was removing snow. Wide streets were laid out, and the city has an impressive arsenal of snow-removal equipment.

Question: Mt Baker, the snowiest place on Earth, is in which mountain range?
Answer: The Cascades